A Feminist Reading Of Little Women

Little Women is a classic novel in American literature by Louisa May Alcott. Since its publication, the novel has been enjoying much popularity by readers all over the world. This thesis intends to interpret the feminism reflected in Little Women. First of all, the author gives a brief introduction to the definition of feminism and reviews the development of the western feminism, and then analyzes Alcott’s feminist views illustrated in her works. Through an analysis of the female figures in the novel, the thesis discusses and interprets the feminist ideas embodied in the novel. The image of women in Little Women demonstrates a dual-character quality. The female characters are not only loving mothers and devoted wives, but also independent women. The women hold the female qualities of traditional virtue, such as affection, domestic duty and so on. Meanwhile, the women have the advanced spirit with sense of independence, struggle for their equal rights and participate in social affairs. Alcott demonstrates women’s appeals for independence, equality and pursuit of true love together with qualities of traditional women virtue in her work Little Women, which clearly shows her feminist perception.